GROW-OP NOT ON LAND USED BY POLICE

With eyes in the sky, Mounties, the military plus police officers
from Saanich and Victoria often scour Vancouver Island in search of
outdoor marijuana grow operations.

The integrated team of police officers, with assistance from the
Canadian Forces, takes aim at eradication of marijuana and its impact
on organized crime.

Just because a helicopter lands on a property does not translate into
officers making a bust or finding a grow-op, although this occurred
on Aug. 27 on Hornby Island.

Earlier this summer, an unmarked helicopter working in conjunction
with an RCMP-directed eradication program landed twice on the
property of Hornby Island's Bernhard Weiss.

Comox Valley Insp. Tom Gray pointed out the Weiss property was used
as a staging area for police, who busted a neighbouring grow-op.

"Mr. Weiss and the Comox Valley detachment of the RCMP wouuld like to
clarify that no marijuana was found on Mr. Weiss' property and that
112 marijuana plants were harvested on neighbouring land," said Gray
in a release.

"The RCMP regrets any concern or distress that this operation may
have caused Mr. Weiss as a result of the helicopter landing on his property."

The goal of periodic marijuana eradication projects, according to
Const. Darren Lagan of the RCMP's Drug and Organized Crime Awareness
Service, is to destroy pot that's grown outdoors, often on Crown land.

"The location of these outdoor marijuana grow operations poses unique
challenges for our officers," he said.

"Through our partnership with the Canadian military, we are able to
utilize their expertise and equipment to gain access to these
difficult locations."

The production of pot is directly tied to, and funds organized crime
groups, through street-level sale in Vancouver Island communities,
say the RCMP.

"The RCMP and our law enforcement partners are committed to combating
organized crime and the activities which fund them at the source," noted Lagan.

According to Lagan, outdoor marijuana production, as witnessed by
police in the past, poses a significant environmental risk, in which
streams are diverted, growth-enhancing chemicals and pesticides are
introduced to pristine lands, and garbage is strewn about post-production sites.